Signaling apparatus for motor-cars



F. w. YO GE; SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION'J-IILED NOV. II, I914.

Patentg Aug. 15,1916.

; '4'SHEETSSHEET I.

F. w. YONGE. SIGNA LING APPARATUS FOR MOTOR CARS.

- APPLICATION FILED NOV. H, I944- Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

mains-ship 2.

F. w. YONGE. SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FIL ED NOV. Il, 1914- I Patented Aug. 15

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 i. w. YONGE. SIGNALING APPARATUSFOR MOTOR OM18.

APPLICATION FIL'ED NOV. H, 1914- J;1 94,920, Patented Au 15,1916.

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W F 'FWHORQQ.

FLETCHER WILMEB YONGE, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA.

' SIGNALING APPARATUS roa Moron-cans.

Application filed November To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnn'rcrrnn W. Yoxon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tampa, in the county of Hillsborough and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Signaling Apparatus forMotor-Cars, is a specification.

This 1nvent1on relates to signaling apparat'us for motor cars, the broad .object of the invention being to produce simple, reliable and effective apparatus for visually indicating to a following machine the movements of the machine ahead, the signaling apparatus being designed to. convey information as to whether the machine in advance is about to. stop or go forward or turn to the right or left, thedisplay of the signals being accompanied by the sounding of an alarmv which will more effectively draw the attention of the operator of the follow car to the visual signals displayed.

ing

further object of the invention is to provide in connection with an oscillatory and a pluralityof signaling lamps, a signalcontrollingelement so associated with the saiddisk, lamps and alarm that-it will simultaneously operate 'thc sig-. naling lamps and alarm electrically and also mechanically operate the oscillatorydisk.

A further object of the invention is to provide a special arrangement of electrical contacts or terminals in such relation to the switchlener qf the controller that the op erator may either simultaneously operate'the signal lamps and audible a armor operate the same independently of each other.

\Vith the above and other v objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts,

signaling disk,

as herein'described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing :Fig ure1 is a face view of the indicatdr of this invention. Figs 2 is a similar view showing the door thereof swung downwardly to expose the contained signaling lam s. Fig. 3 is a side" elevation of the indicat r. Fig. 4.- is a vertical foreand aft section through the.

same. Fig. 5-is a section ta enat right anglesto Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of thecontroller. .Fig. 7 is a view taken from the opposite side of. the controller Specification of Letters Yatent.

of which the following 11, 1914. Serial No.871,55.

omitting the coverplate. Fig. 8 a vertia cal section through the controller taken to one side of the switch lever. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the controller showing the notched floor plate. Fig. 10 is'a detail perspective view of the cover plate detached. Eng. 11 is a diagram of the wiring and electrical connections.

Referring to the drawings A generally designates the casing of the indicator which comprises an upper section B and a lower section C, the upper section B being preferably cylindrical as shown and provided with doors 1 and 2 arranged at the front and rear thereof for giving access to the mechamsm contained in the upper section B ofthe casing.

The lower section of thecasing is laterally elongated as shown in'Figs. land 2 and is provided with a door 3 containing of panels of different colored glass, 0 designating a/blue panel, 6 a yellow panel, 0 a;

I green panel and d a redpanel.

6 designates a centrally located red panel to produce the ordinary continuously burning red signal required by the law at the rear'ofevery motor car whether standing still. The other panelsa, bfc and Y a? are adapted to be illuminated by the means .erator' of a following car. Around each of the panels or groups of panels contained in the door 3 extends a flanged guide 4 which is adapted to receive bottom wall ofthe mainsection C of the casing so as to cover in a series of illuminating electric lamps spending, respectively with the panels a, b, c and (1; also a lamp 7' corresponding'with the red panel '6 of the door 3.

In the'up'per and 9, '9 designating a relatively long brass bearing or bushing for said shaft. The

- shaft 7 extendshorizontally and is provided a number f, g, h and icorre-I section B of the easing a shaft 7 is journaled in suitable bearings 8 Patented Aug. 15, 191

moving or g hereinafter described for. signaling the op- -illustrated in Fig.

l). The disk is divided up in the manner .2 to provide quadrant shaped portions of different colors, 10 designating a red section, 11 a yellow section, 12 a green section and 13 a'blue section. l pon the red section the letter S is shown represented. said letter standing for the word stop; on the yellow section 11 the letter F is represented. standing for the word forwm-d"; on the green section 12 the letter it is represented. standingfor the word right': on the blue section 13 the letter L is represented. standing for the word lett The door 1 is provided with a transparent panel H corresponding in size and shape with any one of the diil'erent colored sections 10. ll. 1:! and 1 3 of the oscillatory disk I). said panel 14 being therefore of just sullicieut size to expose oneof the dill'erent colored sections and the letter thereon at one time.

The operating means for the oscillatory disk B is best illustrated in Figs. t and 5 wherein it will be seen that the shaft 7 has fast thereon a drum 15 around which a flexible cable 16 is wound several times. One extremity of the flexible cable 16 is attached at 17 to a cable retracting coilcal-spring 18 contained in a spring housing 19 shown as of cylindrical shape the lower end thereof being closed by a cap 20 through which is inserted a tension screw 21 adapted to be held fixed by means of a. jam nut 22. The other end portion of the cable 16 passes through a tube 23 which leads toward the controller hereinafter particularly described to an element of which it is connected and by means of which it is operated in the manner which will be hereinafter made clear. The disk D is illuminated by an overhead electric lamp Q4: screwed into a socket 25 'held by a stationary collar 26 to one end of which is connected :1. tube 27 through which the wires 28 pass to and from the lamp 24:. A combined hood and reflector 29 is secured to the top of the casing A. and extends from the lamp 24 to protect the same and reflect the rays of light therefrom downwardly over the exposed portion of the oscillatory disk D. The lamps f, g, h, and z are similarly fastened in place as shown in Fig. 4t and the wires thereof all lead into a tubular conduit 31 to the battery, alarm and controller hereinafter more particularly de scribed. In the bottom of the section A of the casing and leading into the lower section C are nipples 32 and 33 through which the wires just referred to pass from the lower section G into the upper section B of the casing A from which they all pass through the tubular conduit 31 referred to as shown to the features above described, the casing A is shown as provided with the socket pieces 34 at opposite sides thereof to enable the same to be fastened upon the usual bracket arms 35. bottom the casing is provided with a pendent flange or extension 36 provided with slots 37 to reccivethe fastening bolts of the usual number plate which is thus adapted to be attached to and supported by the indicator above described.

3S designates an audible alarm shown in the form of a bell attached to any convenient part of the indicator.

The controller comprises a wedgeshapcd casing designated generally at E said casing having rock shaft upon which is mounteda lever l0 constituting a switch lover. Extending upwardly from the main body 40 0f the lever is an arm 41 upon the upper end of which is a pedal 42 of the driver of the ear. The top 4-3 of the controller box is in the form of a plate as shown in Fig. 9. the be set flush into the floor of the-machine within easy, reach of the operators foot, said plate 43 being formed with a slot 1:11: for the lever 40 and said slot being offset at periods to provide notches 45, 46, 47 and 48 into any one of which the upper portion of the lever may move for the purpose of energizing the lamps for the pre-arranged signals, the notch 45 being adapted to hold the lever oi the controller when turning to the lett as indicated, the notch 46 when the signal points to the right. the notch ii for the forward position and the notch 48 to indicate that the ear is about to stop, the said designating words being shown in their proper order in Fig. 5).

Extending along opposite sides of the main body -10 of the switch lever are contact plates 40 and 50 having binding posts 51 and 52 from which wires lead through an outlet nipple 53 to the carbon of the battery designated at F. Just under the. plate 43 and arr.-mged in groups are contact fingers or terminals K and L. Each of these contact plates extends inwardly from a post 54 which as shown in Fig. 8 extends through a terminal board 55 where it has connected thereto the appropriate one of'a series of wires 56. All of these wires 56 lead to binding posts 57 on a terminal plate 58 shown as secured to the terminal boardbfi, the latter being formed with any suitable insulating material. Finally all of the wires lead outwardly through a nipple 59-at the bottom of the controller box to points to be hereinafter referred to. The binding posts and wires, etc., are housed in and concealed by a back cover 60 whichis flanged as shown at 61 and formed with slots or notches 62 to receive journaled therein a horizontal adapted to be operated by the foot same being adapted to At the screws .64 on the controller blocks, the back ing lever 40 and contact finger. L. The same cover 60 being held in place by nuts 65 or arrangement of circuits isprescnt with each 65 equivalent fastening devices. set of contact fingers shown at K and L in Extending in a generally horizontal plane the diagrammatic view, Fig. 11, and also from the switch lever 40 is a lever arm or I in Fig. (3. link 66 the same being fastened to the lever Itwill of course he understood that in i 40 at 67 and having the adjacent end of the the day time the current may be cut oil" with- 70 flexible cable 16 attached to the extremity out interfering with the operation of the thereof at the point 68', Therefore when oscillatory signaling disk D which will conthe operator-moves then, switch lever in a tinue under the control of the pedal lever forward direction, the arm 66 pulls on the of the controller. Furthermore, if desired, I flexible cable 16 and by "means of the drum the audible alarm-may be left in commission 75 in one "direction. When he releases the.

"16 in'the opposite direction and turns the 15 oscillates or turns the, signaling disk D pedal, the spring 18 draws the flexible cable signaling disk back to; its initial position.

Inthe same movement of the switch lever of the controller, the lever is brought into.

line with the desired notch 45, 46, lit-or 48 and upon entering said notch it, coines in contact with one o the terminal contact fin- 'gers K thereby energizingthe lamp "circuit as will hereinafter appear and displaying the appropriate signal formed by the different colored panels a, b, c and d of the indicatorhereinabove described. By a. foi ward pressure on the pedal, the lever 41 pushes the contact plate 49 against the finger L I which throws in the alarm circuit, thereby ringing the alarm. Thus the operator may either display the lights or sound thealarm separately, the lateral movement of the lever into one of the notches closing the lamp circuit and a forward movement closing the alarm circuit. Uppn reaching the foremost I contact finger L the bell or'alarm is actu ated and when the switch lever is returned still.

' ofthe plate 43, itmakes contact with the adto its rearmost position-it contacts with the adjacent finger K, displaying the red light i to indicate that the machine is standing The arrangement of the electrical connecfrom the diagramswitch lever is moved into one of the notches acen't finger K whereupon the current flows through the finger'K, the appropriate wire,

56 to the terminal plate 58, wire 59 to battery 60 and from battery through another wire 59 to the operating lever 40 back to the contact finger K. The lamp J behind the glass disk e is constantly burning at night and is in a separate circuit (not shown). The lamp circuit is thus closed. To throw in the alarm circuit, the lever 40 is pushed forward untilit is in contact with the 'finger L. Thereupon a portion of the current as shown in the diagram, -Fig.'11, passes through the contact finger L, wire 70, alarm ing disk. worklng parts of the mechanism are housed.

light.

during the day time so that it may be sounded iii-connection with the use of the signal- It will also he observed that all in and thoroughly protected from the weather and also to avoid the same being tampered with by unauthorized persons. The main advantage of the invention resides in the ability of all of the elements of' the signaling apparatus being controlled by a single element shown as consisting of the switch lever of the controller. Furthermore the device is exceedingly compact and will take up very little available space in the machine.

Each of the different'colored lights will be flashed in accordance with the appropriate colored panel or section of the oscillatory signaling disk. For example, the green light will appear when the signaling disk is turned so as to present the green surface or section thereof and the blue light will flash or be shown when the blue section of the disk appears before the observation opening. When the machine is proceeding straight ahead, the yellowlight will be displaycdtogether with the constantly burning red The feature referred to is parti-cularly valuable where the motor car is being followed by an engine as the constantly burning red light alone might be confusing to the engineer who would probably mistake the red light for a danger signal on the railcouplets, each couplet including a lamp contact and an alarm contact located in spaced relationto'each other, and a manually'operable controller mechanically connected with said disk for turning the latter-and shiftable to .a plurality of positions in each of l 38 and wire 71 to the ,terminal plate 58 thence through' the battery 60 to the operatwhich it lies between the contacts of one cou- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature plot, the l1 'll 111) and alarm contacts belng so in resence 0f two wltnesses. au 'enged \yxth regard to the controller that l iy hl nited lnqyel nent of the latter in any FLETCHER VVILMER YONGE' 5 setrgjqqt pps itions the lamp and alarm \Vitnesses:

circuits may be independently cpemted by Dozmn A. DE VANE, the controller. O. D. RQYALL. 

